


Opal And Alice

by ZippyZapmeister



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Day 2: Endings, F/F, Fire Emblem Femslash Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2016-08-30
Packaged: 2018-08-12 00:35:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7913521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZippyZapmeister/pseuds/ZippyZapmeister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anna didn't expect to fall in love with Olivia and her story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Opal And Alice

Anna knew how to appreciate the finer things in life. She loved to sit back and enjoy things as they came to her. However, sometimes those “finer things” could make her a lot of money. Anna decided to put that fact to use one day when she saw Olivia telling scary stories to Ricken in a most riveting fashion, contradictory to her shy mannerisms. Ricken was shaking in his boots! “People love a good story,” Anna murmured. “If they pay for books, then why wouldn’t they pay for this?”

 

With a grin on her face truly befitting of a trickster, Anna walked over to Olivia and Ricken, where Olivia was just finishing up a story as they sat at the base of a tree. “...and ever since, anyone who goes _near_ that field is never seen-”

 

“Olivia, stop it,” Ricken shrieked, his voice cracking. “This is too much!”

 

Olivia frowned as Ricken covered his ears and dashed off. _Perfect_ , Anna thought, approaching Olivia quickly. Anna said, “Seems like you’ve got a talent!”

 

Olivia jumped ten feet into the air, yelping and scrambling away. Anna waved disarmingly and gave her best merchant’s smile, but Olivia still looked shaken. “Oh...hi,” Olivia said, twiddling her thumbs.

 

“You scared that poor kid right out of his knickers, y’know. You’re pretty good at storytelling! Maybe you should give up dancing, and become a bard!”

 

That didn’t seem to get Anna anything but silence. After a couple seconds of Anna thinking about what to say, Olivia mumbled, “I’m just saying stuff that I remember hearing while traveling…”

 

“That sounds mighty boring. Don’t you think you should make up your own stories? Thrillers, mysteries...romances?” Anna plopped down next to Olivia, pressing their shoulders together. Anna tried to make casual contact whenever she was trying to close a deal, make the customer feel like she was their friend.

 

A gentle grunt escaped Olivia at the subtle touch. She said, “I don’t think I’d be too good at it...but I wouldn’t mind trying, I guess. I’m not sure Ricken wants to hear any more of them, though.”

 

Anna “tsk, tsk, tsk”ed, shaking her head solemnly. “No, no, you have to widen your audience! Y’know, many people come by my stall. Maybe you can have a little part off to the side? I can charge a little _fee_ for people to hear your great fables! You can take, say...thirty percent.”

 

“I don’t want any money,” Olivia said, frowning. “But the job sounds nice, I guess-”

 

“You’re doing it free of charge, then?! Holy smokes, you’re an angel! When can you start?”

* * *

 

_Clink, clink, clink, go the coins! Ah, look at my little money-maker. Anna, you’ve done it again!_

 

Anna looked at the two younger kids standing before Olivia, entranced by her story. It wasn’t a horror story, though; it was some little fable about a pig trying to climb up a tree, which had a moral at the end that Anna wasn’t trying to listen to. After all, _tricksters_ didn’t have the best moral compass. Her corruption is what kept her in business!

 

Olivia was making Anna a lot of money. Not nearly as much as Anna was making with her main drag, but a lot. After two weeks of Olivia “working” for Anna, Anna realized that Olivia was a wonderful addition to her business. Anna insisted that Olivia should tell stories by the _time_ and not the length of the story itself, so there was a fixed rate for two minutes, and an extra charge for every thirty seconds after that; Anna made sure that Olivia was strict on the timing when using her watch. It seemed as if Olivia was trying to finish her stories before the two minutes was up, but Anna didn’t mind...although, she did give Olivia a little mini-lecture; the lesson was, “don’t do anything for free”.

 

After the kids clapped their hands and dashed off to waste their money somewhere else, Anna clapped Olivia on the back, dropping their coins into her purse. They were warm from the sweat of the kids’ hands, but money was money, Anna reminded herself. “Nice job,” Anna said, and she meant it. She wasn’t really listening; for most of the story she was closing a sale on a book, but what she did hear sounded great.

 

“Thanks,” Olivia said, smiling at the encouragement. No, she was beaming, Anna decided...just _grinning_ as if her life depended on it. “But it wasn’t that great! I made it up as I went along…”

 

“That makes it even better!” Anna winked, causing Olivia’s grin to falter as she turned away so fast it looked as if her neck would snap. _Aw...she’s blushing. That’s too cute!_

 

Before Anna could tease her newest employee, a giggling couple approached, perking up at the little advertisement for storytelling that Anna had posted. As the couple came closer, Anna noticed that Olivia was deep in thought, as if she were already making up the story. Once the money was exchanged, Olivia began the story. Anna didn’t have any customers, so she pretended to count her coins while she listened to Olivia tell the story.

 

It started with a traveling dancer, named Opal, who was caught in the middle of a war. Olivia described her as painfully average, someone who was down on themselves constantly...and for good reason. The clink of Anna’s coins stopped when Olivia paused for a second, and she looked over and became fully engrossed. Olivia began to describe a merchant named Alice. She was confident, carefree, and maybe a bit snarky, but clever. One day, the merchant saw Opal drawing in the middle of a field-

 

“Oh. Time’s up,” Olivia squeaked. “Sorry…”

 

“That’s just fine! We’ll be back tomorrow,” the man said. “This story sounds interesting! Doesn’t it, love?”

 

The woman nuzzled her lover’s shoulder and said, “It sure does, pumpkin! We’d like to hear this same one tomorrow, okay?”

 

Olivia nodded mutely, blushing as the man slipped some extra gold pieces into her palm and winked. The couple walked off, and Anna smiled. “My, my, _sugar lump_ , your stories seem to entertain the masses. Good job, _honey bunch!_ ”

 

The little pet names were meant to be a jest, but Olivia turned completely red and began shaking, biting the inside of her lips. After a while, she shakily said, “That’s not f-funny!”

 

Olivia tried to drop her tip in Anna’s bag, put Anna swatted her hand away. “That’s yours! Keep it. I can earn that bag times a thousand in the next hour!” That was true, but Anna was starting to feel bad about Olivia not earning anything; that was the _real_ reason she told Olivia to keep her tip. _That’s odd. I can’t believe I didn’t snatch it the second she offered it!_ Trying to distract herself from her un-miserly behavior, Anna quickly chuckled and said, “So! Let me hear the rest of the story about, ah, ‘Opal’ and, uh, ‘Alice’.”

 

It was clear that the story represented Olivia and Anna. Anna wondered if Olivia really thought she was stupid, or if she just didn’t care if Anna knew. However, Anna wasn’t sure how it was going to end. That wasn’t the only thing that made her feel weird; she hated the way that Olivia described herself. It was so depressing. Anna wanted to just stop the timer and hug her. Not only that, but the way she described _Anna_ was even weirder. It was if she thought Anna was some kind of heroine. Anna just _had_ to know where the story was going…

 

However, her plans were thwarted. “I don’t work for free,” Olivia challenged. “I’m going to go get a snack from one of the other stalls in the market.” Olivia scampered away before Anna could even offer her payment.

 

Anna faltered. That girl sure did learn quickly.

* * *

 

The next day, the couple was back, and Olivia continued from Opal sitting in the field.

 

Alice was amazed by Opal’s art style, so Alice invited her to draw caricatures at her merchant’s stall. Opal loved to watch Alice work; Alice was so persuasive, so confident in every movement and every word that she said...Opal was jealous, but was also intrigued and pleased at Alice’s social prowess (Anna poked her chest out a little at that. She just _loved_ that Alice character). Opal didn’t know why, but she felt like Alice felt the same. Of course, it was in her imagination, she was just so stupidly _plain_ and shy and everything that Alice wasn’t. Alice radiated...well, radiance. Opal radiated dull waves of “this girl is lame” (Olivia made sure to use those _specific_ words). But then, _one_ day-

 

“That’s two minutes,” Olivia blurted out suddenly, interrupting herself.

 

“Aww! I wish Opal would confess her feelings,” the woman whined, pouting.

 

Anna scoffed and nodded, rearranging her merchandise. Most expensive in the front, of course. Her eyes darted over to Olivia and back as she said, “I do, too.” Olivia turned pale.

 

The man shook his head, chuckling under his breath. “Forgive me if I sound a little sappy, but Opal just needs to be more confident in herself! I can’t wait to see what happens next! We’ll be back tomorrow, alright?”

 

The man dropped twice as many coins in Olivia’s hand as he did before, his lover still clinging to his arm as they walked away.

 

Anna watched Olivia closely. Olivia was blankly staring at her clenched fists. Anna was starting to wonder if Opal really was a representation of Olivia. Anna had to admit, she was a little disappointed at the thought of Olivia not liking her. Maybe Alice _did_ feel the same. After being around Olivia for a while, Anna noticed that Olivia was starting to grow on her. It was so adorable, how shy Olivia was always getting...Anna really wanted to keep her around. It was refreshing. Just being _around_ Olivia made her feel unbelievably happy.

 

“So...is tomorrow the last part?” Anna said casually, fiddling with her ponytail.

 

“It should be, yes…”

 

“I’m excited,” Anna said, patting Olivia’s shoulder. Olivia turned red again, and Anna considered making her move, but then decided to let Olivia finish their story for herself.

* * *

 

The couple didn’t show up the next day, but the day after, they were there, brimming with excitement. Anna had a customer, but she quickly told them that the item they wanted to buy was reserved (which was a lie) and shooed them away so she could hear the story. Not even the _clink, clink, clink_ of the coins falling into her coin purse could distract her from the thud of her heart in her chest. Olivia took a deep breath, shut her eyes, then started.

 

But then, _one_ day, Opal decided to face her fears. She told Alice to meet her by a nearby lake after dinner. There, Opal was dancing, the only thing she thought she could do at least decently well. Alice approached, and Opal stopped dancing. She told Alice how she felt about her, how Alice made her better, how she wanted to have that energy with her wherever she went. Alice confessed her love as well, and, with their love solidified, Alice and Opal kissed, with the gentle sounds of the lake’s water surrounding them.

 

Anna began clapping at the end, and the couple clapped too, causing Olivia to cringe bashfully and look down. “This one’s half-off,” Anna said, refunding the couple half of their fee. They excitedly gave their thoughts on the story and true love and whatnot; Olivia seemed unsure on how to continue the conversation, so she just smiled and nodded until they merrily skipped off.

 

Anna was buzzing with excitement. There was only one lake near the Shepherds’ campgrounds, and after dinner, she would be there. There was _no_ _way_ it was just a story…

* * *

 

When Anna got to the clearing with the lake in it, Olivia wasn’t dancing. She was pacing anxiously, and when Anna cleared her throat, she yelped and jumped. “Anna,” Olivia said slowly.

 

“Now, now, this isn’t how the story goes, is it? You’re supposed to be dancing!”

 

“...I’m not Opal. Opal might not be brave, but she’s braver than I am.” Olivia seemed disappointed in herself, and Anna approached slowly, partly afraid that Olivia would skitter off like a little mouse if she moved too fast.

 

“Should I say how I feel first, then? Not as Alice, but as just plain ol’ Anna?”

 

Olivia suddenly shrieked, “Oh my gods! You _do_ feel the same, it wasn’t just my imagination! A-ah, you do feel the same, right? That’s how you feel? Gosh, I keep on saying ‘the same’, but I haven’t even told you how _I_ feel...this is a disaster…”

 

Anna tried her hardest not to, but she laughed and laughed and laughed. Olivia looked so ashamed, but Anna walked over and put her arm around Olivia’s slim shoulders. “Olivia, I’m-I’m not laughing _at_ you, really, it’s just the situation...it’s funny! I know you were trying to make this like a storybook ending, but we’re hardly your average pair. You’re freaking out over nothing, alright, buttercup? I really like you. And you like me, right?”

 

“...As more than a friend.” Olivia seemed tentative to admit that, even after how obvious it became.

 

“Well, yeah,” Anna laughed. “Of course! There. We’ve done the first step...now all that’s left is for us to kiss. Do you mind Olivia?”

 

“Yes,” Olivia said immediately. Anna pulled her arm from around Olivia’s shoulder, stepping back; then, Olivia shook her head in frustration and quickly grabbed Anna’s hand and moved closer to her. Anna was a little taller, and Olivia liked looking up at her to see into her eyes. “I meant...yes, I want to kiss you. But, no, I don’t mind...if you…”

 

Olivia trailed off as Anna grinned at her like a predator grins at its prey; Anna couldn’t help but smile at the little gasp Olivia made when Anna pressed their lips together. Anna couldn’t fathom why she was so surprised…

  
After all, what’s a love story without a romantic ending?


End file.
